2In those times people will love only themselves and money. They will be boastful and proud. They will say bad things against other people. They will not obey their parents. They will not be thankful. They will not be the kind of people God wants.

3People in those times will not have love for other people. They will refuse to forgive and will talk about other people to hurt them. People will not control themselves. They will be angry and mean and will hate things that are good.

4In the last days people will turn against their friends. They will do foolish things without thinking. They will be conceited and proud. People will love pleasure—they will not love God.

5Those people will continue to act like they serve God. But the way they live shows that they don’t really serve God. Timothy, stay away from those people.

6Some of those people go into homes and get women who are weak. Those women are full of sin. Those women are led to sin by the many evil things they want to do.

7Those women always try to learn {new teachings}, but they are never able to fully understand the truth.

8Remember Jannes and Jambres. They were against Moses. It is the same with these people. They are against the truth. They are people whose thinking has been confused. They have failed in trying to follow the faith.

9But they will not be successful in the things they do. All the people will see that they are foolish. That is what happened to Jannes and Jambres.

Last Instructions

10But you know all about me. You know what I teach and the way I live. You know my goal in life. You know my faith, my patience, and my love. You know that I never stop trying.

11You know about my persecutions (troubles) and my sufferings. You know all the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. You know the persecutions I suffered in those places. But the Lord saved me from all those troubles.

12Every person who wants to live the way God wants, in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted.

13People who are evil and cheat other people will become worse and worse. They will fool other people, but they will also be fooling themselves.

14But you should continue following the teachings you learned. You know that those teachings are true. You know you can trust the people who taught you those things.

15You have known the Holy Scriptures since you were a child. Those Scriptures are able to make you wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people the things that are wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching how to live right.

17Using the Scriptures, the person who serves God will be ready and will have everything he needs to do every good work.